Black Moshannon State Park Historic Districts facts for kids
The Black Moshannon State Park Historic Districts are three special areas within Black Moshannon State Park in Centre County, Pennsylvania. These areas are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This means their buildings are important to history.
The structures in these districts were built in the 1930s. This was during the Great Depression, a time when many people needed jobs. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built them. The three districts are:
- The Beach and Day Use District: It has 18 important buildings. These include 11 picnic pavilions, a snack building, a bathhouse, a museum, and four outdoor toilets.
- The Family Cabin District: It has 16 important buildings. These include 13 cabins, one large lodge, and two outdoor toilets.
- The Maintenance District: It has four important buildings. These include a storage building, a garage, a gas pump house, and the park ranger's home.
The CCC Company 359 built these structures. They worked from Beaver Meadow CCC Camp S-71 near Philipsburg. They built the buildings between 1933 and 1937. Black Moshannon State Park opened in 1937. Some CCC buildings have been changed or replaced over time. But enough original buildings remained. So, the three historic districts were added to the NRHP in 1987.
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What is the Civilian Conservation Corps?
The CCC was started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It created many jobs for people who were out of work. Many young men from towns like Altoona and Bellefonte joined. Black Moshannon State Park is a great example of the CCC's work. They built many parks across central Pennsylvania.
Beaver Meadow CCC Camp S-71 opened in May 1933. It was one of the first CCC camps in Pennsylvania. Its goal was to build new park facilities. Over 200 young men lived and worked there. They helped protect the soil, water, and trees in the Black Moshannon area.
The CCC workers cut new roads. These roads helped fight wildfires. They also planted many red pine trees. This helped regrow the forests. The CCC also built many park buildings still used today. They built log cabins, picnic spots, and a food stand. They also made miles of trails. Early on, the CCC built a dam at Black Moshannon Lake.
The CCC camp closed in January 1937. Black Moshannon State Park opened that same year. In the 1950s, the CCC-built dam was replaced. In 1987, the remaining CCC buildings were recognized. They became part of three separate historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places.
Beach and Day Use District: Fun in the Park
This district has 18 important buildings. They are protected because of their history. These buildings include seven "standard" picnic pavilions. They have pyramid-shaped roofs and wooden supports. There is also a larger picnic shelter with log railings.
Three water pump shelters were also built. They were made of local stone and covered with pebbles. These have since been changed into picnic pavilions. The snack building, bathhouse, and museum are also protected. The snack building is a rectangular log building. It has a pointed roof and a cross-shaped entrance.
The bathhouse is near the beach. It has stone columns and a sloped roof. Its walls are made of vertical wooden siding. The nature museum used to be a stone and wood pavilion. It is built into a dirt bank with stone walls. Four outdoor toilets are also part of this historic district. They have sloped roofs and wooden siding. All buildings in this district are important historic structures.
Family Cabin District: Places to Stay
The Family Cabin Historic District covers about 16.5 acres. It has 16 important buildings. These include 13 cabins, one lodge, and two outdoor toilets. Twelve of the cabins are in a straight line along a road. This design is like the "motor courts" of the 1930s. This cabin layout is special for Black Moshannon State Park. Cabins at other parks often have a more "rustic" style.
Cabins 1 through 6 are single-room log cabins. They have pointed entries and stone fireplaces outside. Cabins 7 through 12 have two rooms. They have entries under the roof's edge and stone fireplaces at the back. The Lodge (also called Cabin 13) is a large rectangular building. It has clapboard siding and a big stone fireplace in the middle.
Cabin 14 is L-shaped with an open porch. Its stone fireplace forms one outside wall. The other walls are clapboard. Two outdoor toilets built by the CCC are also protected. Both have sloped roofs and clapboard siding.
Maintenance District: Keeping the Park Running
The Maintenance Historic District covers about 2.75 acres. It is in the northwest corner of the park. This district has four CCC-built buildings. The storage building is made of wood. It has pointed roofs and clapboard siding. It looks like storage buildings used by the military in the 1930s and 1940s.
A three-bay garage is also in this district. It is two stories high and has clapboard siding. This garage also follows a standard military design. The gas pump house has a long roof edge. This protects the gas pumps. It is also a standard military design.
The ranger's residence is a one-and-a-half-story house. It has a pointed roof and a small addition. It was covered with aluminum siding after the CCC built it. There is one newer building in this district. It is a Maintenance Shop built in 1978. This building is not considered historic.
